Patrol
by Simon920
Summary: Batman tries to talk to Robin while out on patrol. Number 5 in the My Word series. WARNING, WILL ROBINSON...SLASH ALERT. Move along if this isn't your thing.
1. Chapter 1

This story has implied SLASH. Not your cuppa? Move along.

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**Patrol**

"What's on your mind, Bruce?"

They were in the Batmobile, wrapping up a routine patrol. It was three in the morning and Dick needed to get back because he had a trig final in five hours. Normally they'd stay out another two hours, but sometimes Batman could be reasonable.

"You did a good job with Catwoman tonight—she hadn't escaped more than six hours before you located her, Robin. I saw the way you took down six of her men—good job."

"…Seven.

"Even better. The commissioner was happy to have them all put away so quickly and you get a good deal of the credit, chum." Robin was happy to hear the compliments, but he knew better than to think Batman was just being generous—he was leading up to something and he had a pretty good idea of what it was. He also wished he'd just get to the point, because for one thing he was tired and for another, he knew exactly what was on the Bat's mind: he and Roy being gay lovers at seventeen and under the Bat's roof. Okay, they had his tepid permission, but he wasn't what anyone would call thrilled and the vibes had been coming through loud and clear for months now. Truth be told, it was wearing thin for them, too; everywhere he and Roy went, every word they said they were under scrutiny and, as they say, found lacking. The two of them knew how they felt and this wasn't just some affair; they loved each other and this would last. Sure, maybe it wasn't forever, but they weren't going anywhere for a while—a long while and Bruce needed to get used to that. And did he even have to get into the fact that every room in the Manor was bugged? Talk about inhibiting.

"You all set for your history final later?"

"Sure, no problem."

"What about Roy?"

"What _about_ Roy?"

Batman took a beat before answering; lately everything he said seemed to start an argument. "Does he have any tests today?"

Fine, Robin could tone it down a notch if he had to. "Oh. No, sorry. His finals aren't till next week; the public school goes a week later than mine does."

"Do you have any idea what he plans to do this summer? Is he planning on getting a job or anything along those lines?"

Robin was looking out the window, watching the city go by; his jaw hurt where one of the goons got a hard punch in and he'd twisted his back when he pushed off from a wall a little off balance for a flip. The Jacuzzi would feel good, especially if Roy was still awake to help relieve some of the tension when they got back. "He said he was going to work, but he hasn't found a job yet. We were going into town when I finish the test tomorrow and see who's hiring."

"I see."

"_What_ do you see?" Make a point, Bruce, stop beating around the bush.

Dick threw a challenge at him and it was annoying. Batman tossed him a glare, the one known to freeze criminals dead in their tracks, but Robin had seen it for nine years now and it didn't work as well on him. He did, however, know he was being snotty and was chastised enough by the rebuke to give a half-hearted apology. "Okay, sure. Fine."

They were almost at the bridge that would take them out of the city and back to the suburbs and would be home inside of ten minutes; not enough time for what he wanted to ask. Without a word Batman turned right, bringing them back to the outer beltway around Gotham. From here the trip home could be stretched out to almost thirty minutes if need be and Robin knew exactly what was happening and why. "I'd like to talk to you about how things are going between you two."

Robin knew this was coming sooner or later and here it was. "Like what?"

The boy could be as evasive as the best of them when the mood hit. "Let's start with the report I got from Leslie report this morning that Roy was treated for syphilis a few months ago. I think you might have mentioned that to me—and where did he get it? He was living at the Manor then, wasn't he?" He looked over at Robin again. "She also said you were tested and came up clean."

Robin had as guilty a look on his face as Batman had ever seen. "That was when he first moved in. We both knew something was wrong and so we went to the clinic. Leslie gave him penicillin and he was fine in a couple of weeks…and we were careful before that—I'm all right, I didn't get it or anything."

"You didn't tell me how he got it."

"…I don't know."

That was a flat-out lie, out of character for Dick. "I doubt that. You want to try again?"

"…He needed money and, you know…he needed money."

Christ. "Because he's using again?" So the kid was pimping himself out for drug money. That's it; he was out the door at first light. Period. Queen could come get him and deal with this.

"No. No, he's stopped. As soon as he moved into the Manor we got him cleaned up and off the junk—that's why we were always in my room or out taking walks or something, so you wouldn't notice and send him back to Ollie. He's okay now, he's back in school and he's okay."

Christ again. "For the love of God—wouldn't the best, smartest, easiest thing have been to tell me or Alfred, even Ollie and get him professional help? What the hell were you thinking?"

"That I could help him. And I did." Simply stated—ask a question, get an answer. "He's clean now, Bruce. You see him everyday, you'd know if he wasn't."

Fine, calm down, be understanding. "Dick, look, I know you want to help him and you two are friends, but he needs professional intervention to kick this and you simply don't have the training to do…"

"I _know_ what he needs, Bruce and he won't go to a clinic or a rehab center. He says they don't work for him. He'll do it for me—he did it for me and he's been clean since he moved in. It worked."

"For now, maybe, but you know the odds that he'd backslide again and I don't want you caught up in that. You have enough to deal with on your own without adding a junkie to your plate. Do you understand me? I want him out today."

"Why? I told you he's clean."

"Stop being obtuse. Does Ollie know about any of this? Does Dinah?"

Robin spared Batman a quick look, judging how far he could go with this. "I spoke with Dinah the day before he moved into the Manor, I don't know what she told Ollie but she thought it was a good idea to get Roy out of where he was so he could get away from Ollie; they weren't getting along and she thought—and I agreed—that was part of the problem. As soon as he was out he stopped using, he's doing better in school and he's—we're happy." He turned his head to the left again for a moment. "C'mon, Bruce, you can see that. Besides, my grades are fine and I'm still going out as Robin whenever you want me to. I mean I just took out seven of Catwoman's men tonight and helped you get her back in a cell. It's not like I'm slacking off or anything."

"You're losing your focus. You took them down but two of them got solid punches in and you're trying to hide it."

Robin jerked his head around so that his swollen jaw line was firmly facing away from Batman. "It was just a couple of lucky hits and I'm fine." He was looking out the window again, it had started raining, really pouring and the windshield wipers were slapping and squeaking back and forth.

"Dick…"

"Drop it, will you? I said I'm fine and I am—what's really the problem here? That you don't approve of Roy and me? Okay, why not? You think we're too young? You think this is just some kind of experiment that will get boring if you let us indulge ourselves for a while or are you jealous that we have something together without you?"

"That's enough." Jesus, how did they get to this point? Dick used to be so easy to have around; they got along so well and almost never had problems with one another.

"No, it isn't. Just because you've killed any possibility you might have had for personal happiness, that's no reason why I should and—even though I know you don't believe this, that fact is that Roy and I are best friends and we love each other. I know you think we're 'kids' and don't know what we're doing, but you're wrong, Bruce. We know exactly what we're doing and as soon as we finish school we're…"

"You're what? Going to move into your own place?" And leave the Manor? God, the rooms used to echo before Dick moved in.

"We've talked about it."

"I see, and what about college? Have you given that any thought?"

"Bruce—Christ, didn't we already have this conversation? Yes, I've thought about college and I might go. Roy isn't interested and will be getting a job, a real job and we'll be fine."

"Doing what?"

"Excuse me?"

"Roy will be getting a job doing what exactly?" The Batmobile was going dangerously fast along that long straightaway leading to the tunnel. Neither one noticed; Robin was used to Batman's driving and Batman was thinking about other things at the moment.

"He's had feelers from both the FBI and the CIA and they're interested. He _is_ a Titan, you know."

They were headed back home; through the tunnel then another fifteen minutes and they'd be back in the cave. Bruce wanted to talk to Roy about his damn drug use but he was going to call Queen first to make sure he was up to speed on what his pain in the ass ward/foundling/lost puppy was up to again. He was damned if he was going to let Dick throw away everything he—they'd—worked for over the last decade so Dick could play white knight to a kid with 'loser' written all over him in neon.

"Batman, Jesus! Slow down, will you?" They'd almost sideswiped a Mercedes; Robin took a quick look; they were going close to 100mph, it was raining hard and the highway was slick with road oil. The tunnel entrance was about seventy-five yards away, a slight curve, a small dip in the road and they'd be out of the rain.

And they would have been fine if the deer wasn't crossing the road, stopped in the middle, blinded by the oncoming headlights.

TBC

6


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

Batman reacted as fast as any human could have, with the possible exception of the Flash. He turned the wheel left to avoid the three hundred pound animal with the Mercedes still too close along the right side of the Batmobile. He braced his body and he looked to make sure all the collision avoidance systems were on and green lighted.

If the deer hadn't panicked and jumped, they may have been all right, but the buck tried to get away, leaping almost straight up with poor timing, his feet sliding on the slick pavement and came down on the windshield, his two front hooves going through the reinforced glass and causing a skid as the tires hit a large puddle, hydroplaning into the entrance of the tunnel and then thrown into an uncontrolled roll, turning over three times, bouncing from tiled wall to tiled wall and off the crash barriers before coming to a rest, hood popped open and horn blaring, steam hissing from the radiator. The large Mercedes sedan on the right tried to avoid the crash but the driver was inexperienced and the machine went into a spin out, forcing it off the guardrail and into the left right fender of the heavier and longer Batmobile as they spun and careened together over a hundred yards to a stop. The only good thing that was later said about the accident was that because of the hour, there was almost no traffic and no further cars were involved.

Both cars stopped, the only sound was the screaming horn. The deer was dead, crumpled across the Batmobile's hood and impaled in the windshield glass. The driver's side door was forced opened by the final impact against the crash barriers bending the vehicle's frame, the passenger side twisted metal and seemingly welded to the right front fender of the heavy sedan. No one would be getting out there.

"Robin?"

Batman was conscious, but stunned and probably in shock. He and Robin had been wearing their seatbelts, as always, and both the front and side airbags had deployed, but the crash was a bad one.

"Robin?"

"Robin?"

"Dick, can you hear me?"

The dead deer was still blocking the front window, now broken and with thousands of tiny cracks in the safety glass. It looked almost like a stained glass window, backlit by the sodium vapor tunnel light until Batman realized it was blood from the animal which gave it the cathedral illusion.

A passing car stopped, the driver already on his cell phone and calling 911. The man got out, saw who was involved and leaned in the opened door. "Batman? Are you hurt? Can you hear me?"

"Help Robin." The boy wasn't responding. Batman picked up his wrist; there was a pulse and he was breathing but he wasn't responding. Looking to his right, he could see the boy's eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted and there was some blood coming from his left ear, not a lot, but it was there. Batman lifted his hand and wiped it away without realizing he'd even moved. He got out of the bucket seat onto the pavement and out of the way as soon as the first ambulance arrived, about two minutes after the crash.

Seconds after that the communicator in his cowl signaled, "Sir, are you all right? Do you require assistance?"

"Doctors are here, please have Dr. Thompkins meet us at"—he looked at one of the paramedics who answered his unspoken question, "have her meet us at Memorial. I'm unhurt, Robin is being worked on, I don't know the extent of his injuries yet." He saw the oxygen tank being brought out of the van, an IV being started.

The driver of the Mercedes was being cut out using the jaws of life. He was awake but bleeding from a gash on his forehead. The paramedics were concentrating on Robin, bringing in more equipment and trying to manuveur in the small cockpit space.

Batman felt a hand on his shoulder and turned just enough to catch the red cape in his perifural vision. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Make sure he's all right."

Superman nodded once and carefully removed the top of the Batmobile, allowing easier access for the professionals who were almost, but not quite, too busy to be awed by the presence of the man himself. The lead man asked, "Can you get him out of the car and on the stretcher? Without jostling him too much? He may have spinal or internal injuries."

"Of course." It was done in seconds. "Can I transport him for you? Memorial, right?"

The man nodded mutely and Superman took of with the gurney cradled as carefully as he'd have carried a baby carriage. The Mercedes driver, who was alone on his car, was loaded onto the second ambulance and Batman got into the back of the now empty van which drove through the growing crowd of police, fire engines and onlookers to head back to the ER. Sitting on a jump-seat in the back, he touched the earpiece in his cowl. "Does his friend know about the this?"

Alfred was on line, answering immediately. "No sir. I believe he's retired for the evening."

"Both of you should meet us at the hospital."

"On our way, sir. Do you require anything else we should bring with us?"

"Just get there."

Alfred quietly opened the door to the now shared suite in the east wing. There was a small night light on for Master Dick's benefit when he got in after patrol allowing just enough light to see the outline of furniture and naviagte. Master Roy was asleep on what had become 'his' side of the bed, closest to the wall to make it easier for Dick to slide in without disturbing his lover. Roy was only covered by a sheet since it was humid and warm and was obviously naked under the thin cotton. Carefully Alfred touched his bare shoulder, his eyes opening at once. It was, Alfred thought, a trait all the heroes shared, that of being light sleepers.

"Forgive me for waking you sir, but I must ask you to dress quickly. There's been an accident involving the big car." Manor-speak for the Batmobile when not in costume or in the cave, "The master requests that we join him at the local hospital as soon as possible."

"Dick?"

"Has been admitted to the Emergency Room. We don't yet know the extent of his injuries, but he was wearing his seatbelt and the airbags deployed, so we can hope it's not too serious. Dr. Thompkins will also be meeting us there. The master evidently managed to escapee unharmed."

"I'll be ready in a second."

Alfred made his way quickly down stairs, getting out the car closest to the door, not caring which one, so long as it ran. The news he'd received was that the young master was still unconscious and seemed to be bleeding internally. Dr. Thompkins had ordered an MRI and CT and the OR was being readied in case they needed to repair damage. There was no reason to upset Master Roy more than necessary before they really knew what they were dealing with but it had initially sounded as though it could be serious.

Roy opened the passenger door before Alfred could pull to a complete stop in the main circle of he driveway. It was Speedy, not Roy who pulled the door closed behind him, "If Robin is hurt, it makes sense for Speedy to be worried instead of Roy Harper."

"Quite right." They left the grounds, making it to the hospital inside of fifteen minutes, nothing being said the entire trip until, "Go on, they're waiting for you."

"Aren't you coming?" Of course Alfred had to come in.

"You're right. It doesn't make sense for Bruce Wayne's butler to be here. You let him know—let both of them know I'm at home and will do whatever is needed. I'm counting on you to keep me informed, young man. Now, off with you."

He nodded and ran though the double doors, the ambulance still standing where it had been parked by the entrance, back doors still opened and medical wrappings on the floor where they'd been tossed. Inside of the ER there was the usual set up, a small triage section with a sign asking patients to please see the nurse before going in, a set of automated double doors and beyond that a dozen or so curtained off cubicles for patients around a central nurses station. Seeing his costume, an orderly pressed the large wall switch allowing him back into the examining area. He walked in looking into cubicles until he came to the last one. The curtains were drawn, but he could see the edge of Batman's cape under the drapes. Pausing, he listened before going in; a woman was talking, her voice angry.

"He was lucky and you have got to realize that; you both were. And what on earth were you doing going over 100 miles an hour headed into that tunnel, for the love of God? If you're intent on getting yourself killed, at least have the consideration to let the boy make that particular decision for himself."

Dr. Thompkins angrily pushed her way out of the small area, almost running into Roy as she did so, Batman standing behind her, looking down at Robin, striped and covered, barely, with a hospital sheet but mask still in place. Seemingly chastised, Batman followed her, "Doctor, a moment, if you don't mind…" With a curt nod, she led him to what looked like some kind of office about twenty yards away. They went in, closing the door behind them as Roy moved over to Dick. Looking down, scared to death, he saw Dick calmly looking up at him, the cold fluorescent lighting somehow making his eyes even bluer than usual. There was an IV in his arm and an oxygen tube in his nose, hooked around his ears. He moved his untethered hand slightly, reaching for Roy who gently and unobatrusively covered it with his red loved fingers.

"Are you all right?" He whispered as quietly as he could in case someone was listening, hating how his voice sounded, small and frightened.

"Okay. Sore, shaky. They're saying something about wanting to keep me overnight for observation, but I want to go home." He was always so calm, even when llying in a hospital, his voice the same voiceless whisper as Speedy's had been. "Are you okay? You look upset."

"Y'think? I was woken up from a dead sleep and told to get my ass to the hospital because you screwed up doing wheelies in the Batmobile."

"…You should see the other guy." Robin tried a smile and failed.

"You really good?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm going to be feeling it for a few days, but I'm good. Leslie said there's no internal damage or aything and nothing showed up on any of the scans. I think she's going to kill the Bat, though."

"If anyone can, it's either her or Alfr…"

"Walls have ears"

Roy frowned. "Wha…? Oh, yeah, right, sorry." Stupid. No names, remember? This was the Batclan he was dealing with. "So are they going to keep you or not?"

"I'm not sure. Batman wants me to go home, Leslie doesn't."

"You scared the shit out of me."

Robin looked really upset at that. "I know. I'm sorry—I wish there was something, I mean, I wish you didn't have to hear about it or something. I'm sorry…I'm really sorry, Speedy."

He looked like he was going to say more but was cut off by a nurse pushing the privacy curtain aside, squealing as it slid back. He moved his hand away so they were maintaining a respectable distance.

"Sorry, boys, but you're being moved upstairs for the night so we can keep an eye on you."

"Have they found anything wrong?" Leave it to Dick to want all the facts.

"You can ask Dr. Thompkins that in just a minute, but it looks like you'll live." She bustled around, putting the remnants of his uniform in a plastic bag, along with his shoes. She checked the IV, looked at the various monitors he was attached to, smiled at them both and left to be replaced almost immediately by Leslie and Batman.

"It looks like you got away easy this time—again, but I want you here for observation at least overnight; if you check out I'll let you go home after I finish rounds in the morning. Now, you're going to be taken up to a room and I want you to rest—do you understand me?" Robin nodded; he knew when he was outranked. "Good. Then when you get home, I expect you to take it easy for a week, and I _mean_ taking it easy. Are we clear about that?" He nodded again. No Robin, no flying, no real workouts for a while. Damn.

"What about…you know, what about…?" He glanced at Speedy who had the decency to blush and smirk.

"I _said_ not for a week. Would you prefer if I wrote it down for you?" He kept his mouth shut. "All right, they're moving you now—" she looked at both Speedy and Batman. "You two get out of here and I don't want either of you to show your masks until at least nine tomorrow morning." The orderlies came in, disconnected Robin from most of his tubes and wires and wheeled him out towards the elevator as Leslie watched. "I'll be up in a few minutes." Turning to Batman, "I assume you want security on his door? I thought as much, I've asked the GCPD to post a guard so he should be fine. Now go home and get some sleep yourself, do you hear me?"

Bruce watched the elevator doors slide closed. "What about the other driver?"

"He was treated and released but you owe him a new car. I assume you don't have a problem with that? I thought not. Now, go home, both of you."

In the small room behind the nurses station the orderly was making a copy of the security video tape, the one which caught, more clearly that anyone would have thought; two of the male Teen Titans exchanging a full mouth kiss and holding hands.

This should be worth some money.

6/27/06

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11


End file.
